Woman charged with aggravated assault, evading arrest

Cassandra Marie Benavides, 25 was arrested Nov. 18 after she allegedly tried to collide with a law enforcement unit in an attempt to evade arrest, according to court documents.

Cassandra Marie Benavides, 25 was arrested Nov. 18 after she allegedly tried to collide with a law enforcement unit in an attempt to evade arrest, according to court documents.

Photo: Midland County Sheriff’s Office

Photo: Midland County Sheriff’s Office

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Cassandra Marie Benavides, 25 was arrested Nov. 18 after she allegedly tried to collide with a law enforcement unit in an attempt to evade arrest, according to court documents.

Cassandra Marie Benavides, 25 was arrested Nov. 18 after she allegedly tried to collide with a law enforcement unit in an attempt to evade arrest, according to court documents.

Photo: Midland County Sheriff’s Office

Woman charged with aggravated assault, evading arrest

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A Midland woman was arrested Nov. 18 after she allegedly tried to collide with a law enforcement unit in an attempt to evade arrest, according to court documents.

Cassandra Marie Benavides, 25, was being held Thursday on a $100,000 bond for a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault against a public servant, a $10,000 bond for a third-degree felony charge of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, a $10,000 bond for a third-degree felony charge of forgery of a government financial instrument and a $500 bond for a Class B misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated.

A Midland County Sheriff’s Office deputy was driving at about 12:40 a.m. Nov. 18 and observed an unoccupied vehicle stopped in a roadway.

After the deputy activated emergency equipment, a woman — later identified as Benavides — ran to the vehicle and started driving at a high rate of speed, according to her arrest affidavit.

Benavides later attempted to collide with another law enforcement official’s unit, according to the affidavit. She allegedly used the vehicle as a deadly weapon during the commission of an assault on a peace officer.

Later, the vehicle Benavides was driving came to a complete stop, and a deputy observed her try to put it in gear, according to the affidavit. The deputy twice fired a gun at the vehicle’s tire, and Benavides continued to resist by not opening the door, according to the affidavit.

Benavides allegedly appeared to be intoxicated and had glassy eyes, an unsteady walk, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol coming from her breath. Several bottles of liquor and beer — including an open container — were located in the vehicle, according to the affidavit. A counterfeit $20 bill was also in her belongings, according to the affidavit.

If convicted, Benavides could face up to life imprisonment for the first-degree felony charge and up to 10 years imprisonment for a third-degree felony charge.